Almost to maintenance

raventwo

Just a quick introduction, and a request to hear from others almost to maintenance about how you plan to succeed at that, or from those already in maintenance. I especially would love to hear from anyone following CALP (Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program).
I am a long time on and off CALPer (since late 1990s) who finally got really serious 3+ years ago. I've gone from at least 368 (possibly was as high as low 370s) to today's weight of 155.7 (last average of 157+ will be changing on Monday. I get my "true" weight by a 7 day average, and average on Mondays).
I originally set my goal to 140 (I have shrunk to 5' 4.5") but frankly I am getting really boney on the top - you can see my sternum, collarbones stick out, xiphoid process is out even when I'm standing up) and I realized some of my current weight, is just my loose skin - not fat. I discussed it with my FP doc and we decided on 146.

I joined MFP after an almost year long plateau - I'd lost about 88 pounds before hitting said gnarly plateau, and was arguing with my cardiologist that no, it isn't just calories in vs calories out. I still believe that, however. I realized I didn't have a clue any longer as to normal portions. I gave MFP a 3 week trial, chose a decent daily limit, but did my eating per CALP rules. I lost over 6 pounds and haven't stopped since. He likes to think calories counting is why..I just laugh and say you'd have a heart attack if you saw what my calories are being spent on
I realize my journey is only almost half over. It is unusual to lose this much without any meds or surgery, but super unusual to then keep it off.
I will keep it off, but know I have to not only have the right attitude, but the right approach.
So, please share your thoughts and tips.
I think what I will do first will be to simply add 100 calories per day and a food such as avocado or almonds to a cm (craving reducing meal...very quickly calp = 2 cm's per day (if hungry) and 1 rm or Reward Meal. CMs are composed of low carb vegetables and protein. Reward Meals begin with a salad or a serving of a low carb veggie and then a balanced meal of 1/3 protein, 1/3 low carb veggie and 1/3 carbs. Yes, I eat ice cream and baked goods or fruit and yogurt etc. Balanced. Works well for me. I take various recipes and turn them into minis. It is one reason I love calp. It has allowed me to continue making family/heritage recipes, though as I said, I make minis. I turned my Sicilian grandmothers cassatta recipe into citrus twist mini-cheesecakes.)

KnitOrMiss

I'm not near maintenance as far as my overall goals, but I did maintain for 6 months last year while working on the mental aspect of this. Things I learned...

1) adjust by 50-100 calories per week - not per day. This allows your metabolism to adjust with you without stalling.

2) plateauing is good - for at least 6 weeks, 6 months is better. It allows your body to reset it's default to a lower level. My default used to me upwards of 275. After maintaining for 6 months I stayed in the same (much lower) 5 pound range with minimal effort.

3) if I didn't eat the foods while I was losing, I was not mentally equipped to add them back in during maintenance. I have to figure out how to manage reasonable portions of any food I want to eat WHILE I AM IN THE WEIGHT LOSS MINDSET, or translating that back to maintenance does not work for the way my brain is wired.

4) I know that I will likely not ever be able to adjust my carbs above a certain level. Rewiring my chemistry may change that and if I gradually up my carbs on a weekly basis, I will find my "sweet spot" for maintenance, but I can also tell you that hitting a certain level of any type of carbs triggers headaches and spiked heart rates and crazy addictions, so this will not be something I will do. Having about a single bite of a "traditional" sugared dessert at most is about all I can handle.

5) My mental progress was far, far more important than my physical progress. In getting my "head on straight" so to speak, the health gains and all naturally followed.

6) I have to modify anyone else's suggestions to fit my unique "snowflake-ness."

7) Even at maintenance, support and reality checks are essential.

8) learning to listen to my body's true voice again is so empowering!

9) Cheating only punishes me in the long run, not helps me. Dealing with things in small doses is fine, so unless I have have an allergy or true aversion, no food is completely off limits for me. If I want something, I figure out how to fit it in or I choose to accept the consequences I know will come...

Other than that, I'm still a work in progress. I'm out of maintenance and back in the game for now. Best of luck to you.

raventwo

Thank you KnitOrMiss. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm afraid I will keep losing when I don't want or need to. I am going to give myself a 3 lb. swing range, but will probably still try the 100 cal more per day. There is little from the Hellers re maintenance that I can find, the one thing i recall from being on a list run by them, was to up the carbs until you started to gain.
I like your point about mental progress, I know how important the mental aspect/attitude etc. has been for me finally losing the weight I needed to lose. Best wishes to you.

KnitOrMiss

Your body will actually find a natural balance if you remember to listen to it. it would be difficult to keep losing if that isn't your active goal.

Quatroux

I spent about 9 months in maintenance and I pictured carbs as a lever. I knew I could lose weight keeping my carbs under 100. I slowly added carbs back until the weight loss stopped. I didn't care about calories or any other macros. Add carbs to gain weight. Subtract carbs to lose weight.

What I failed to do is keep a good track of this as I purposefully tried to gain weight. I didn't keep good records. I instead allowed myself cheat meals and otherwise stayed on LCHF. In hindsight, this doesn't work. I think these small binges do a lot of damage that can't be quickly or easily repaired by a few days of good eating.

I'm about to return to a strict keto diet again and am very interested in doing a more controlled and better documented transition to maintenance. Alternatively, I may cycle periods of cutting and bulking like bodybuilders. I have a very easy time changing my weight and the periods of bulking are likely the best way for me to add muscle - a personal priority. YMMV

I guess my point is that I would alter your carbs and not your calories.

Hope this gives you an idea or two.

LowCarbHeart

Welcome and congratulations on your amazing transformation! I'm working on the last few pounds and it has been hard because I love my maintenance lifestyle so much (I maintained for 5 months after my initial 50 pound loss).

The hardest parts of this journey have been starting, keeping going after losing some weight and wanting to settle, and now recognizing when its time to stop. The double edged sword of low carb is you lose the weight so quickly it doesn't give your mind time to catch up. I wish I could see me the way others see me because I still see myself as overweight. Even when I put on a size 4 pair of jeans its like it doesn't mentally register.

I may have reached my goal weight already and haven't fully embraced it yet. I'm trying to shift my focus to other goals like running a 5k in the spring and by the end of the year I want to be able to do 10 real push-ups. I think having health goals that are not scale related is very important to maintenance success.

Hope that helps and please feel free to friend me!

raventwo

All your responses help, thank you so much! I will natter freely here, but do keep my journal private. For seeing how and what I eat, my blog is listed in my profile, and I will freely share here. I.e.
Breakfast cm this morning: 1 egg over easy in 1/2 tsp. grass-fed unsalted butter. 1 scallion. 1 Turkey sausage split in half and heated in pan with egg and scallion. 1 slice cheddar melted atop all. This is a slightly larger than my usual breakfast. I don't eat eggs for breakfast 7 days a week like I used to, long story - no I don't think eggs are bad or that they cause high cholesterol, however I have a particular issue I am working on, so choose to limit. 1 oz. half and half with my coffee.

FIT_Goat

I am in maintenance, but I doubt that any of my suggestions would apply to your situation. I found that changing the amount of carbs I was eating was undesirable to me. So, I only upped the amount of food I eat.